New and advanced transmission systems and braking systems are being developed by the automotive industry. These new systems often involve high energy requirements. Therefore, the friction materials technology must be also developed to meet the increasing energy requirements of these advanced systems.
The friction material must be able to withstand high speeds wherein surface speeds are up to about 65 m/seconds. Also, the friction material must be able to withstand high facing lining pressures up to about 1500 psi. It is also important that the friction material be useful under limited lubrication conditions.
The friction material must be durable and have high heat resistance in order to be useful in the advanced transmission and braking systems. Not only must the friction material remain stable at high temperatures, it must also be able to rapidly dissipate the high heat that is being generated during operating conditions.
The high speeds generated during engagement and disengagement of the new transmission and braking systems mean that a friction material must be able to maintain a relatively constant friction throughout the engagement. It is important that the frictional engagement be relatively constant over a wide range of speeds and temperatures in order to minimize "shuddering" of materials during braking or the transmission system during power shift from one gear to another. In particular, the friction material must not shudder during the initial cycles or "break-in" period of operation.
Previously, asbestos fibers were included in the friction material for temperature stability. For example, the Arledter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,846 patent describes phenolic and phenolic-modified resins used with asbestos. Now, however, due to health and environmental problems, asbestos is no longer being used. More recent friction materials have attempted to overcome the absence of the asbestos in the friction material by modifying impregnating paper or fiber materials with phenolic or phenolic-modified resins. These friction materials, however, do not rapidly dissipate the high heat generated, and do not have the necessary heat resistance and satisfactory high coefficient of friction performance now needed for use in the high speed systems currently being developed.
While phenolic resins have found use in friction materials for wet clutch applications, the phenolic resins have various limitations. The phenolic resin friction materials do not have the high heat resistance necessary for use with the new high energy transmission systems. In particular, the phenolic resins carbonize at a temperature of about 450.degree. to 500.degree. C. which is too low to be useful in high energy applications. In addition, phenolic resins are rigid materials and when the phenolic resins are used in a friction material, uneven lining wear and separator plate "hot spots" result.
Attempts to overcome the limitations and drawbacks of phenolic resin friction materials include the replacement of phenolic resins with other thermosetting resins. One attempt to produce friction materials involves the modification of a phenolic resin with various synthetic resins. One example, described in Takarada et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,951, is a phenolic resin modified with an organopolysiloxane which is compression molded to form a friction material. The phenolic resin and organopolysiloxane are reacted together to effect a condensation reaction which is then distilled, solidified by cooling, and pulverized to obtain a powdered phenolic-modified resin. The powdered phenolic-modified resin was used in forming a compression molded friction material.
As far as is known, there is no disclosure of a friction material for use in transmission systems which includes a silicone material blended with a phenolic material and used to impregnate a friction paper.
While the Hartmann et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,045 reference discusses a silicone material blended with phenolic resins for use as a compression molding composition, there is no disclosure or suggestion that a silicone material could successfully be blended with a resin material and used to impregnate a friction lining material. On the contrary, previous attempts to use silicone resins in friction materials have been unacceptable. A friction lining that is impregnated or saturated with a silicone resin has, in the past, demonstrated poor shear strength and delamination resistance. Further, friction materials saturated with a silicone resin are usually too elastic and therefore tests with undesirable friction and wear characteristics resulting. It is not surprising that molded friction lining compositions formed entirely of a phenol-formaldehyde resin-polysiloxane resin have not been used even though they are known, since such molded compositions do not have the necessary constant coefficient of friction characteristics and such friction materials fail under high energy and high heat conditions.
The present invention is an improvement over the Seitz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,650 reference which involves a multi-step impregnating and curing process; i.e., a paper is impregnated with a coating composition, carbon particles are placed on the paper, the coating composition in the paper is partially cured, a second coating composition is applied to the partially cured paper, and finally both coating compositions are cured.
In order for friction materials to be useful in "wet" applications, the friction material must have a wide variety of acceptable characteristics. The friction material must be resilient or elastic yet resistant to compression set, abrasion and stress; have high heat resistance and be able to dissipate heat quickly; and, have long lasting, stable and consistent frictional performance. If any of these characteristics are not met, optimum performance of the friction material is not met.
Thus, it is also important that the impregnating resin be used with a suitable friction lining or fibrous base material to form a high energy application friction material. The friction material must have good shear strength both when saturated with the wet resin during impregnation and when saturated with brake fluid or transmission oil during use.
It is also important, under certain applications, that the friction material have high porosity such that there is a high fluid permeation capacity during use. Thus, it is important that the friction material not only be porous, it must also be compressible. The fluids permeated into the friction material must be capable of being squeezed or released from the friction material quickly under the pressures applied during operation of the brake or transmission, yet the lining material must not collapse. It is also important that the friction material have high thermal conductivity to also help rapidly dissipate the heat generated during operation of the brake or transmission.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved friction material with reliable and improved properties compared to those of the prior art.
A further object of this invention is to provide friction materials with good anti-shudder performance, high speed and energy durability, high porosity and strength.
As a result of extensive research in view of the need for a better friction: material, a friction material with improved characteristics has been developed by the inventors. The present friction material is especially useful in applications where the friction material is subjected to harsh "break-in" conditions during use.